In the Woods

Staff Pick

The only thing more exciting than a great thriller is a terrific debut by a great thriller writer! Tana French makes a tremendous splash with In the Woods, a harrowing mystery in the vein of Mystic River that wholly earns the comparison. I dare you to put it down! Recommended by Hank, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox — his partner and closest friend — find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.

Review:

"Irish author French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut. When Katy Devlin, a 12-year-old girl from Knocknaree, a Dublin suburb, is found murdered at a local archeological dig, Det. Rob Ryan and his partner, Cassie Maddox, must probe deep into the victim's troubled family history. There are chilling similarities between the Devlin murder and the disappearance 20 years before of two children from the same neighborhood who were Ryan's best friends. Only Maddox knows Ryan was involved in the 1984 case. The plot climaxes with a taut interrogation by Maddox of a potential suspect, and the reader is floored by the eventual identity and motives of the killer. A distracting political subplot involves a pending motorway in Knocknaree, but Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[French] sets a vivid scene for her complex characters, who seem entirely capable of doing the unexpected." New York Times

Review:

"A mystery? Yes. But In the Woods is much more than that.... It is as exquisitely told as it is wondrously plotted. Why does one read? To experience novels like this. Not to be missed." BookReporter.com

Review:

Review:

"In the Woods is a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland.... An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans." Booklist

Synopsis:

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox — his partner and closest friend — find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones. And look for French's new mystery, Broken Harbor, for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

About the Author

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 18 comments:

Rachel Coker, July 11, 2015 (view all comments by Rachel Coker)
"In the Woods" is my idea of a great summer read. It's a fast-paced, suspenseful and well-crafted murder mystery. Set in and around Dublin, Ireland, the novel is narrated by a homicide detective who survived a horrible crime as a child. As the book begins, he and his partner, a strong-willed and whip-smart woman, take on a case that may or may not be linked to the one in his past. I found the characters interesting and the crime difficult to solve right up until the end.

dilatoryspeed, October 21, 2014 (view all comments by dilatoryspeed)
I really enjoyed this mystery of Police figuring out how the killing was done. You went through all the evidence and you tried to see if there was a relation to an earlier tragedy that happened to one of the detectives. The story dealt with what had shaped the police as people from their past experiences to how they formulated their ideas to the case. I'll be reading more of her books.

The only thing more exciting than a great thriller is a terrific debut by a great thriller writer! Tana French makes a tremendous splash with In the Woods, a harrowing mystery in the vein of Mystic River that wholly earns the comparison. I dare you to put it down!

by Hank

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Irish author French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut. When Katy Devlin, a 12-year-old girl from Knocknaree, a Dublin suburb, is found murdered at a local archeological dig, Det. Rob Ryan and his partner, Cassie Maddox, must probe deep into the victim's troubled family history. There are chilling similarities between the Devlin murder and the disappearance 20 years before of two children from the same neighborhood who were Ryan's best friends. Only Maddox knows Ryan was involved in the 1984 case. The plot climaxes with a taut interrogation by Maddox of a potential suspect, and the reader is floored by the eventual identity and motives of the killer. A distracting political subplot involves a pending motorway in Knocknaree, but Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Review"
by New York Times,
"[French] sets a vivid scene for her complex characters, who seem entirely capable of doing the unexpected."

"Review"
by BookReporter.com,
"A mystery? Yes. But In the Woods is much more than that.... It is as exquisitely told as it is wondrously plotted. Why does one read? To experience novels like this. Not to be missed."

"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"[A] readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist. It's ultimately the confession of a damaged man."

"Review"
by Booklist,
"In the Woods is a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland.... An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans."

"Synopsis"
by Penguin,
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox — his partner and closest friend — find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones. And look for French's new mystery, Broken Harbor, for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.